Apparatus for corrugating material



NOV. 15, 1955 c, TEFFT APPARATUS FOR CORRUGATING MATERIAL 9 SheetsSheec1 Filed Sept. 14, 1953 INVENTOR- C/z'rflarr J 72:66, BY

1955 c. E. TEFFT APPARATUS FOR CORRUGATING MATERIAL Filed Sept. 14, 19539 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. (Fir-22571 i. 72 /9 Nov. 15, 1955 c. E. TEFFT2,723,703

APPARATUS FOR CORRUGATING MATERIAL Filed Sept. 14, 1953 9 Sheets-Sheet 3INVENTOR. Clzbrforz .5 75/73 Mama/s.

C. E. TEF FT APPARATUS FOR CORRUGATING MATERIAL Nov. 15, 1955 FiledSept. 14, 1953 9 Sheets-Sheet 4 Nov. 15, 1955 c. E. TEFFT APPARATUS FORCORRUGATING MATERIAL 9 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 14, 1953 INVENTOR.672772 071 45', 75:77'2".

Nov. 15, 1955 c. E. TEFFT 2,723,708

APPARATUS FOR CORRUGATING MATERIAL Filed Sept. 14, 1953 9 Sheets-Sheet 6Nov. 15, 1955 c. E. TEFFT APPARATUS FOR CORRUGATING MATERIAL 9Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed Sept. 14, 1953 INVENTOR. (16772071 I 7E=ff 1955 c.E. TEFFT APPARATUS FOR CORRUGATING MATERIAL 9 Sheets-Sheet 8 Filed Sept.14, 1953 mmv TOR. fZ/rrian 7 729%);

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9 Sheets-Sheet 9 C. E. TEFFT Nov. 15, 1955 APPARATUS FOR CORRUGATINGMATERIAL Filed Sept. 14, 1953 M m 7 A m M y w M w, u z 1W 1 Y w z/H W aB 4 2 H m? J u m m 7 w 7 z LI: y W 5 u 5 y 1. lrl 1 W United StatesPatent APPARATUS FOR CORRUGATENG MATERIAL Clinton E. Tefl't, Detroit,Mich, assignor to Chrysler Corporation, Highland Park, Mich, acorporation of Delaware Application September 14, 1953, Serial No.379,985

Claims. (Cl. 15430) This invention relates to improvements in amechanism for corrugating various materials to provide a sinuousstructure of uniform dimensions. More particularly, this inventioncomprises an apparatus for imparting a sinuous shape to a sheet ofsuitable fabric and it includes a pair of chains having portions whichcooperate to form thereon the fabric sheet.

The apparatus of the present invention is particularly suited to producea corrugated structure from a roll of sheet material of uniform widthand is adapted to operate continuously and automatically. The finishedproduct comprises pads having a sinuous structure consisting ofinterlocked arches resembling the numerical figure eight and theapparatus is for this reason termed a figure 8 machine by individualsskilled in the art.

The pair of chains for the figure 8 machine comprises a series ofinterengaged forming bars which are disposed transversely with respectto the sheet of rolled material. These forming bars are adapted toreceive therebctween the sheets of material to be formed, and in orderto obtain the most satisfactory operation it is necessary that theoperating clearance between the bars be kept to a minimum. Because ofthese small clearances, a considerable amount of friction and bindinghas been experienced which makes frequent replacement of the formingbars necessary. In order to reduce this operating friction between thebars to a minimum, it has been necessary to maintain close tolerances inthe manufacture of the components of the forming chain which hasnecessarily resulted in a high manufacturing cost. Further, thestructure of the forming chain was such that the replacement operationfor the forming bars was time consuming and the replacement cost washigh.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a formingchain for use on a figure 8 machine of the type previously described,which will eliminate operating friction and binding between theinterengaged forming bars.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a figure 8 machineof the type previously described which includes a forming chain havingportions which may be readily replaced without interrupting thecontinuous operation of the machine.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a figure 8 machinewhich is adapted to corrugate sheet material on a mass production .basisfor commercial use and which includes 'a forming chain having componentswhich are relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

Another object of the invention is to provide a figure 8 machine havinga forming chain comprising a series of forming bars individuallyjournalled thereto to permit relative rotation between the same therebyautomatically compensating for small inaccuracies in manufacturingtolerances.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent from thedrawings,. the following description and the appended claims.

ice

In general, the disclosed embodiment of the present invention comprisesa forming chain having interlocked forming bars which are adapted toreceive a continuous sheet of suitable material such as paper, woodveneer or the like and form the same into corrugations. The formed sheetis then removed from the forming bars by means of a suitable mechanismwhich will subsequently be referred to as a stripper. The material isthen sheared into suitable lengths by a rotary blade as it passesaxially along the machine away from the strippers in a horizontalposition. The sheared material is then moved in .a horizontal positionalong an apparatus which will be referred to as the packer. A suitablemeans may be provided for spreading glue or other adhesive over theupper surface of the sheared material. The material is then turned froma horizontal position to a vertical position and passed through a beltconveyor until it is positioned adjacent a cam actuated ram. Atpredetermined intervals the ram is moved transversely across the machineto successively remove the pads of corrugated material.

For the purpose of more particularly describing the disclosed apparatusand its operation, reference will be had to the accompanying drawingswherein:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of the figure 8 machine;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the machine shown in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 44 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a plan view of the packer and is a continuation of the planview of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a plan view of the packer and is a continuation of the planview of Figure 5; v

Figure 7 is a side elevational view of the portion of the packer shownin Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken along line 8-8 of Figure 7 showing aportion of the mechanism for discharging the finished product from thepacker;

Figure 9 is a detail sectional View taken along the line 9-9 of Figure5;

Figure 10 is a sectional view through the stripper taken along section1010 of Figure 3;

Figure 11 is a sectional view taken along the line 11-11 of Figure 7showing the ram mechanism;

Figure 12 is a detail view of the forming chain;

Figure 13 is a sectional view taken along the line 13-43 of Figure 12showing an individual forming bar;

Figure 14 is a plan view of the forming chain of Figure 12;

Figure 15 is a detail view of a modified forming chain;

Figure 16 is a plan view of the modified forming chain of Figure 15;

Figure 17 is a view taken along section line 1717 of Figure 5 showing arotary cutting blade;

Figure 18 is a sub assembly view of a cam actuated mechanism forcontrolling the position of a pair of guide plates which guide thecorrugated material; and

Figure 19 is a detail view of a guide plate taken along the section lineE E of Figure 7.

Having reference first to Figures 1 and 3, the figure 8 machine isdesignated generally by numeral 10 and it includes a suitable base plate11 to which a series of vertical supports 12 are secured. At one end ofbase plate 11 at either side thereof are secured supports 13 to which anupwardly extending pair 'of brackets 14 is integrally secured.

A pair of threaded members '15 is received by the brackets 14 at eitherside of the machine and is adapted to adjustably carry another pair ofbrackets 16 in spaced parallel relationship with respect to brackets 14.The position of brackets 16 with respect to brackets 14 may be suitablyadjusted by means of the retaining nuts 17.

A pair of shafts 18 and 19 are journalled in the brackets 14 on eitherside of the machine. A pair of sprocket wheels is secured to each of theshafts 18 and 19 and are best seen in Figure 3 at 20 and 21respectively.

Another pair of shafts are journalled in the brackets 18 and are shownin Figure l at 23 and 24. These shafts extend transversely across theend of the machine from one of the brackets 16 to the other and areparallel to the shafts 18 and 19 which, as seen in Figure 3, areparallel to each other.

Another shaft 25 is journalled in the support 13 and it is similarlyprovided with sprocket wheels at either end thereof.

A series of such sprocket shafts are journalled in the supports 12 oneither side of the machine and are desig nated by numeral 26. The lastof the series of sprocket shafts is shown at 27 and is journalled insupporting bracket 28 which is bolted to a base structure 29 for thestripper which in turn is bolted to the main base 11.

A forming chain 31 is mounted upon each of the sprocket shafts 19, 24,25, 26, and 27 and is adapted to form a continuous circuit. Anotherforming chain 32 is continuously engaged by the sprocket shafts 18 and23. Each of the forming chains 31 and 32 has sections thereof which aredisposed in parallel relationship with respect to each other and whichhave interlocking portions through which a sheet of fabric material maybe fed. The forming chain will subsequently be described in moreparticular detail.

Under each of the sprocket shafts 26 and the sprocket shaft 25 ismounted another series of sprocket shafts, individual ones of which areshown at 33 in Figure 1. These shafts are journalled on either side ofthe machine and extend transversely thereacross. Sprocket wheels aresecured on each shaft 33 at either end directly under the sprocketwheels carried by the shafts 26 and the shaft 25. Sprocket chains 34 aremounted upon the sprocket wheels associated with the shafts 33. Onechain 34 is located at each side of the machine and they have onesection thereof in close proximity to the lower section of the formingchain 31.

It will subsequently be apparent that the forming chain rotates aboutits associated sprocket shafts in a counterclockwise direction, asviewed in Figure 1, and the chain 34 revolves in a clockwise directionat the same speed. Therefore, the chain 34 serves to support the weightof the forming chain 31 as it passes from the sprocket shaft 27 at theleft end of the machine to the sprocket shaft 24 at the right end of themachine.

The structure which comprises the stripper is located at the left end ofthe machine as viewed in Figure 1, and comprises a base 29 upon whichsupports 35 are bolted. One such support is located on either side ofthe machine. A sprocket shaft 36 is journalled in the supports 35 and isadapted to carry suitable sprocket wheels 37, shown in Figure 4, ateither end thereof. Another pair of supports 38 is secured to the base29 which rotatably carries the shaft 39. Sprocket wheels are provided onthe shaft 39 similar to those provided on shaft 37. A chain is carriedby the shafts 36 and 39 and is adapted to revolve about the same. Thischain is best seen in Figure 4 and it comprises a continuous series oftransverse blades 40.

A guide plate structure is bolted upon the supports 38 and it comprisestwo spaced parallel plates 41 and 42 as seen in Figure 4. The lowerplate 42 has formed therein a pair of longitudinal openings 43 throughwhich the blades 40 are adapted to extend. As seen in Figure 1, theshaft 31 is disposed at a higher position than its associated shaft 36thereby permitting the blades 40 to extend through the openings 43 onlyat the right side of the guide plate structure.

The means for driving the forming chains, the chain 34 and the blades 40includes a transverse sprocket shaft 44 shown in phantom in Figure 3,which is journalled in the base 11. A sprocket wheel 45 is centrallydisposed on the shaft 44 and another sprocket wheel 46 is secured to theend of shaft 44 externally of the base 11.

The shaft 27 has secured thereon a sprocket wheel 47 located externallyof the bracket 28. The sprockets 46 and 47 are drivably interconnectedby means of a chain 48.

Another driving sprocket 49, which has a smaller pitch diameter thanthat of the sprocket 47, is secured to the shaft. 27 adjacent thesprocket 47. Sprocket 46 is interconnected to a sprocket 50 secured tothe shaft 39 by means of a chain 51.

A positive driving connection is provided between the shafts 18 and 19by means of the intermeshed drive gears 52 and 53 which are respectivelysecured to these shafts.

A suitable source of power is delivered to the sprocket 45 which istransmitted to shaft 27 by means of the chain drives 46, 47, and 48. Thechain 51 is effective to deliver driving power to the stripper mechanism39, 50, 37, 36, and 40. The sprocket wheels 49 are effective to deliverpower to the forming chain 31 which in turn drives the shaft 19 and gear53. The gear 53 drives the gear 52, shaft 19 and sprocket wheel 20 whichin turn drive the forming chain 32.

The shafts 18 and 33 have secured thereon the sprocket wheels 55 and 56,respectively, at the extreme ends of each shaft and they are drivablyconnected by means of chain 57. The chain 34 is therefore driven so thatit idles about sprocket shafts 33 by virtue of the positive chain drives55, 56, and 57.

The continuous sheet of fabric material is fed into the machine at theright end, as viewed in Figure 1, and is designated by means of thesymbol M. The rotation of the two forming chains is such that the sheetmaterial is passed through the interlocked forming bars thereby causingthe fabric to assume a corrugated shape as seen at the left of Figure 1.

The forming chain 31 carries the formed fabric up to the sprocket shaft27. At this point the blades 40 of the stripper mechanism, which arecaused to rotate in a counterclockwise direction, engage the individualfolds of the corrugated material M to remove the same from the formingchain 31. The continuous rotation of the blades 40 cause the material Mto pass between the guide plates 41 and 42. The blades 40 maintaincontact with the folds in the material M by virtue of the openings 43 inthe lower guide plate 42 and thereby cause the material M to travel tothe end of the machine.

The portion of the apparatus known as the packer" is disposed to theleft of the machine of Figure l and is generally illustrated in Figures5 and 6. The end-to-end relationship of the packer and the machine ofFigure 1 is illustrated in more particular detail in Figure 10 whichshows the material M passing out from between guide plates 41 and 42under the driving influence of the stripper blades 40. A platformstructure is provided at 58 and suitable side guides are provided at 60through which the material M passes. A portion of the packer basestructure is seen in Figure 10 at 61.

A knife blade is shown in Figure 5 at 62 and is adapted to swing betweenthe slot in the platform structure 58 and shear the material M intosuitable lengths. The bladc 62 is secured to a bearing shaft 63 which isrotatably mounted upon the base plate 61 by means of the bearingstructure shown in Figure 5 at 64 and 65. interposed between the twospaced bearing structures 64 and 65 is a suitable limit switch assembly66. The shaft 63 is powered by means of a gear assembly 67 which iskeyed thereto and which is drivably engaged with a gear 68 secured tothe power shaft 70.

The material M is moved to the left along the packer," as viewed inFigure 5, by means of a frictional engageinent between a conveyor belt71 secured to the four spindles 72 located in pairs on either side ofthe packer. The structure of the spindles may best be described withreference to the sectional view of Figure 9.

The spindle 72 of Figure 9 comprises a body portion 73, which is boltedto the base structure 61, through which a spindle shaft 74 axiallyextends. Suitable bearing means are provided to permit rotation of theshaft 74 and a pulley 75 which is secured thereto at one end. A sprocketwheel 76 is secured to the other end of shaft 74.

Each of the four spindles is provided with similar sprocket wheels whichare adapted tobe driven by a chain 77 engaged therewith. The chain isdisposed in a horizontal plane and is looped about the sprocket wheels76 as shown in Figure 5 thereby imparting a driving motion to the belts71. The chain 77 is powered by means of a suitable reduction gearassembly 78 which is powered by the shaft 70.

A suitable means may be provided for spreading adhesive or glue over theupper surface of the material M while the same is in the horizontalposition, as shown in Figure 5.

Suitable guide means are shown in Figures 5, 6, and 7 at 80 for turningthe material M from a horizontal position to a vertical position or itpasses along the packer assembly. One such guide means is shown inFigure 19 and includes a base portion secured to the base 61 and asloping plate portion adapted to receive the material M. The shape ofthe plate portion increases progressively throughout the length of themachine until the material assumes a vertical position.

As best seen in Figures 6 and 7, the material M is caused to enter avertical channel formed between parallel and vertical guide plates 81secured to the base 61. In order to maintain a steady movement of thematerial M through the packer, other conveyor belts are provided at 82and 83. The belt 82 is drivably carried by the pulleys 84 and 85 and anidler pulley is provided at 86 to permit an adjustment of the belttension. The belt 83 is similarly carried by the pulleys 87 and 88. Eachof the pulleys 85, 86, 87 and 88 is rotatably mounted upon the guideplate structure 81 which in turn is structurally reinforced by bracket89.

The pulleys 85 and 87 are rotatably mounted upon shafts 91 and 92respectively. The shafts 91 and 92 have secured thereto sprocket wheels93 and 94 respectively which are powered by a drive chain 95 which inturn is looped about idler sprockets 96 and 97 and the drive sprocket98. The drive sprocket 98 is drivably secured to a shaft 99 whichcarries at its outer end a sprocket 100 which is drivably connected to apower sprocket 102, shown in Figure 7, by a drive chain 103. Suitableidlers may be provided at 104 to provide support for the chain 100. Y

The sprocket 102 is mounted upon a shaft 105 which serves as the sourceof driving power for the shaft 70 as well as the belts 82 and 83. Anysuitable power plant may be used to drive the shaft 105.

The shaft 105 carries a sprocket 106 which is connected to a Bostonspiral right angle drive, shown generally at 107, by chain 108.

The material M is finally moved to a position directly adjacent a ramwhich is shown at 109 in Figures 6 and 11. A platform structure 110 isprovided to support the material M after it is discharged from theconveyor belts 82 and S3. The height of the platform 110 is such thatthe ram 109 may move transversely thereacross to move the shearedsegment of corrugated material under a suitable hold down device showngenerally in Figure 8 at 112.

The hold down device 112 comprises a plate structure 113 and suitableside guide plates at 114 and 115. The entire assembly is bolted to thebase 61 at 116. The plate structure 113 may be raised and lowered byvirtue pf the lifting rod 117 to which the plate 113 is attached. Therod 117 extends through an aperture in the base 61 and is contacted bylever 118 which is pivoted at 119. The other end of lever 118 isconnected to a plunger structure shown at 120 which is mounted upon base61. The plunger 120 is actuated by means of a cam 122 which is securedto a shaft 70. Upon rotation of the cam 122, the lever 118 is caused toraise the push rod 117 and the plate structure 113 thereby allowing theram 109 to push a section of corrugated material M under the plate 113.As the material M so moves, it pushes out the previous segment ofcorrugated material and stacks the same in a suitable hopper providedfor this purpose. The glued surface of the corrugated segment ofmaterial causes the successive layers of the corrugations to adheretogether thereby resulting in a continuous pad having a sinuousstructure.

A pair of guides are shown in Figure 11 at 123 and 124. In order thatthe ram 109 might remove the segments of material M in a transversedirection, it is necessary that the guides 123 and 124 be temporarilyremoved. The apparatus for doing this is shown in Figure 18 andcomprises a pair of toggle levers 125 and 126 which are pivoted at 127and 128 respectively. One end of each toggle lever is suitablyjournalled to one of each of the guides 123 and 124. The other free endof the toggle levers is disposed adjacent to the abutment 129 secured toa shaft 132 which in turn is slidably received in a pair of brackets 133and 134. A suitable supporting structure is provided at 135 for mountingthe brackets 133 and 134.

An actuating lever is provided, as seen in Figure 18, at 136 and ispivoted at 137 to an anchored base. A cam 138, which is keyed to shaft70', is adapted to oscillate the shaft 136 against the force exerted byspring 139 thereby causing the guides 123 and 124 to oscillatevertically to facilitate the removal of the corrugated material.

The actuating mechanism for the ram 109 is best seen in Figure 11 andcomprises supporting arms 140 which are secured to the ram proper, shownat 109, and which is slidably mounted in suitable brackets 141 and 142secured to the mounting structure 135. The arms 140 are secured at theirouter ends to levers 143 which are pivoted to the base 61 at 144. Cams145, which are rotatably mounted upon a fixed support 146 and keyed toshaft 70', are adapted to contact the levers 143 and actuate the samethereby imparting an oscillatory motion to the ram 109.

The shaft 70 is positively driven by shaft 70 through a reduction gearassembly shown in Figure 6 at 69. Suitable bearing means are provided at79. A limit switch structure is generally shown at 90 and is locatedbetween the spaced bearing means 79. The limit switch 90 is operative tocontrol the sequence of operation of the cams driven by shaft 70'.

A structure is shown at 147 in Figures 11 and 18 which enables theoperator of the machine to insert metal spacer sheets between thesuccessive pads of corrugated material at desired intervals.

In Figure 12, a typical section of the forming chain 32 has beenillustrated and it comprises a standard roller link chain having linksegments 148 which are journalled in end-to-end relationship by means ofthe pins 149 extending axially from either side of the rollers shown at150.

As best seen in the sectional view of Figure 13 and the plan view ofFigure 14, each of the segments is formed with a horizontal platformportion 151. A series of forming bar supports, shown at 153, is boltedto the portions 151 by suitable bolts 154 which extend through the baseof the supports 153 and through apertures in the portions 151.

The supports 153 comprise web structures-155 which are integrally formedwith the base of the support. The webs 155 are turned inwardly at theupper end thereof and terminate in spindle bearings shown at 156. Thespindle bearings 156 are received within hollow forming bars 157 at theends thereof which are adapted to rotate about their longitudinal axis.Similar supports 153 are secured to the forming chains on either side ofthe figure 8 machine thereby providing bearing supports for the formingbars 157 at either end thereof. The forming bars 157 may be either solidor hollow, but in either case the ends are bored to provide an internalbearing surface.

In the supports illustrated in Figure 14 the web portion 155 is offsetfrom the centerline of the bolts 154. A vertical load upon the formingbars will therefore set up a bending moment at the supports 153. In themodified form of the forming bar supports illustrated in Figure 16 theweb portion 155' is located directly over the centerline of the bolts154 and is for this reason more structurally rigid.

The construction of the forming bars and forming chains disclosed hereinis such that the operating friction between the interlocked portions isreduced to a minimum. The bars 157 of the chain 31 are adapted to enterthe spaces between the bars 157 of the chain 32. The sheets of fabric tobe formed are interwoven over the interlocked bars and the resultingoperating clearances are very small. By providing the forming bars withindividually journalled end supports, relative rotation is allowedbetween the bars thereby permitting self-adjustment to compensate forslight inaccuracies in manufacturing tolerances. This feature increasesthe life of the bars and reduces replacement costs.

Further, the individually journalled bars 157 may readily be removedfrom the supports 153 merely by moving one of the side forming chainsslightly in a sideward direction. This greatly simplifies thereplacement operation when replacement becomes necessary. Also, thecontinuous operation of the machine need not be interrupted for anygreat length of time to provide replacements.

While certain preferred embodiments of the invention have beendisclosed, it is understood that the invention is not limited theretosince many variations may readily become apparent to those skilled inthe art, and the invention is to be given its broadest possibleinterpretation within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a corrugating machine for corrugating sheet material or the like,a pair of endless conveyors, each conveyor comprising a pair of sidelink type sprocket chains adapted to be trained over spaced sprockets,each side sprocket chain comprising two adjacent series of linkelements, a plurality of spacer elements interposed between the linkelements of the two adjacent series of link elements, said spacerelements including pivot means for joining the link elements of each ofsaid adjacent series in end-to-end relationship, each of said linkelements having a laterally extending flat portion formed thereon, aplurality of brackets spanning said adjacent series of link elements andpositioned upon said fiat portions, fastening means for securing saidbracket to said fiat portions, each of said brackets having a webportion disposed transversely to the plane of said flat portions, abearing means formed on the web portion of each of said brackets, and aseries of spaced forming bars interposed between said pair of sidesprocket chains, each of said forming bars being rotatably journalled ateither end thereof on the bearing means associated with separate ones ofsaid brackets.

2. In a corrugating machine for corrugating sheet material or the like,a pair of endless conveyors having intermeshing portions, each conveyorcomprising a pair of side link type sprocket chains adapted to betrained over spaced sprockets, each side sprocket chain comprising twoadjacent series of link elements, a plurality of spacer elementsinterposed between the link elements of the two adjacent series of linkelements, said spacer elements inclinding pivot means for joining thelink elements of each of said adjacent series in end-to-endrelationship, a plurality of brackets disposed across said adjacentseries of link elements, each bracket being fixedly secured to one linkelement of each of said series, a hearing means formed on each of saidbrackets, and a series of spaced forming bars interposed between saidpair of side sprocket chains, each of said forming bars being rotatablyjournalled at either end thereof on the bearing means associated withseparate ones of said brackets.

3. In a corrugating machine for corrugating sheet material or the like,a pair of endless conveyors, each conveyor comprising a pair of sidelink type sprocket chains adapted to be trained over spaced sprockets,each side sprocket chain comprising two adjacent series of linkelements, a plurality of spacer elements interposed between the linkelements of the two adjacent series of link elements, said spacerelements including pivot means for joining the link elements of each ofsaid adjacent series in end-to-end relationship, each of said linkelements having a laterally extending fiat portion formed thereon, aplurality of brackets spanning said adjacent series of link elements andpositioned upon said flat portions, fastening means for securing saidbracket to said flat portions, each of said brackets having a webportion disposed transversely to the plane of said fiat portions, abearing means formed on the web portion of each of said brackets, aseries of spaced forming bars interposed between said pair of sidesprocket chains, each of said forming bars being rotatably journalled ateither end thereof on the bearing means associated with separate ones ofsaid brackets, said bearing means comprising a projection extending fromsaid web portion, an external cylindrical bearing surface formed on saidprojection, and a cylindrical cavity extending axially into the ends ofeach of said forming bars, the walls of said cavity forming an internalcylindrical bearing surface, one of said projections being disposedwithin each of said cavities.

4. In a corrugating machine for corrugating sheet material or the like,a pair of endless conveyors having intermeshing portions, each conveyorcomprising a pair of side link type sprocket chains adapted to betrained over spaced sprockets, each side sprocket chain comprising twoadjacent series of link elements, a plurality of spacer elementsinterposed between the link elements of the two adjacent series of linkelements, said spacer elements including pivot means for joining thelink elements of each of said adjacent series in end-to-endrelationship, a plurality of brackets disposed across said adjacentseries of link elements, each bracket being fixedly secured to one linkelement of each of said series, a bearing means formed on each of saidbrackets, 21 series of spaced forming bars interposed between said pairof side sprocket chains, each of said forming bars being ro tatablyjournalled at either end thereof on the bearing means associated withseparate ones of said brackets, said bearing means comprising aprojection extending from said web portion, an external cylindricalbearing surface formed on said projection, and a cylindrical cavityextending axially into the ends of each of said forming bars, the wallsof said cavity forming an internal cylindrical bearing surface, one ofsaid projections being disposed within each of said cavities.

5. In a corrugating machine for corrugating sheet material or the like,a pair of endless conveyors, each conveyor comprising a pair of sidelink type sprocket chains adapted to be trained over spaced sprockets,each side sprocket chain comprising two adjacent series of linkelements, a plurality of spacer elements interposed between the linkelements of the two adjacent series of link elements, said spacerelements including pivot means for joining the link elements of each ofsaid adjacent series in end-to-end relationship, each of said linkelements having a laterally extending fiat portion formed thereon,

9 10 a plurality of brackets spanning said adjacent series of tatablyjournalled at either end thereof on the bearing link elements andpositioned upon said fiat portions, fasmeans associated with separateones of said brackets.

tening means for securing said bracket to said flat por- R 1? Ct h fi 0th' t tions, each of said brackets having a web portion dise erences 1ed mt e 16 f 18 paten posed transversely to the plane of said fiatportions, said 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS fastening means being positionedsubstantially in the 2,494,642 Case et al. Jan. 17, 1950 plane of saidweb portion, a bearing means formed on 2,513,777 Andre June 4, 1950 theweb portion of each of said brackets, and a series of 2,556,011 Swayzeet al. June 5, 1951 spaced forming bars interposed between said pairs ofside 2,623,266 Hemmi Dec. 30, 1952 sprocket chains, each of said formingbars being ro- 10 2,663,351 Osborne et al. -s Dec. 22, 1953

